Daniele Pizzinato, Simone Vincenzi, Elvis della Giustina, Robin Caillieaudeaux,* and Céline Sparrow
*SAS SOFRALAB, 79 av. A.A. Thévenet CS 11031, 51530 Magenta, France (rcaillieaudeaux@sofralab.com)

Foam is among the most important quality parameters we can assess in sparkling wines. The pleasure and sensations perceived when drinking a sparkling wine, its drinkability or aromatic bouquet, are closely linked to the wine’s effervescence and the quality of its bubbles. To understand what influences this, it is pertinent to begin by studying objective analytical parameters in base wines.

The aim of this work, carried out in collaboration with the Department of Oenology at the University of Padua, was to clarify the role of “amphipatic” molecules, compounds that play a positive, active role in foam quality. At the same time, other molecules such as bentonite were studied for their opposite effect.

The Mosalux instrument, designed by the Station Oenotechnique de Champagne (SOEC), was used to collect data on three qualitative parameters used to assess foam quality: HM (maximum height), HS (stability height), and TS (stability time). This method enabled us to compare the positive or negative effects of different molecules on the foam quality of sparkling wines, and therefore their overall quality.

Funding Support: Private company resources (SAS SOFRALAB)